Bonus Chapter Ken
Ken
I don’t remember how long it has been since I placed my feet on solid ground above me. I’ve been in the depths of the ocean for so long. I can’t help but think about how I ended up cursed here. It all happened a long time ago.
Being a god, my life became boring and tedious.
I lived the same routine, the same mundane existence day after day.
The other gods had their rules they lived by to establish order.
They were dull, ordinary, boring. So, I started to have some fun, which led to some things I deeply regret.
I can’t take them back now … but they still haunt me.
At first, I only did harmless pranks. One of my favorites was when I had the deity Erebus’ hair color changed to white.
I stole a powerful mixture from a goddess so that he wouldn’t be able to reverse the effects.
You should have seen his face. I chuckled in the darkness as I recalled the memory.
Erebus had acted like a mad man, doing everything to try to fix his hair color and return it to what it was.
It was the most fun I remembered having in so long.
And I wanted to feel that excitement again.
Erebus was quite angry with me after that incident, but it wasn’t until what happened next that he turned to hating me.
That one wasn’t my fault, though … well, not entirely.
Erebus had a harem of women that he kept, but one of the women was his favorite.
She was a dryad named Ivory. I used to go and flirt with his women to get him riled up. I didn’t mean anything by it, ever.
One evening, Ivory visited me. She entered my chambers and immediately dropped her garments.
This beautiful woman was now just standing there, asking me to take her.
I wouldn’t. I didn’t. But Erebus flung open my door and saw the whole scene.
Without letting me explain, he killed Ivory right there in a flash of rage.
He vowed that one day he would destroy me.
He would hurt me in the worst way possible.
Of course, those were empty threats. How could Erebus hurt me? He wasn’t as strong as me and he knew it. His hatred for me only continued to grow after that, until he was constantly out to get me. In fact, the reason I was cursed was because Erebus snitched on me to the wrong god. Rogio.
I did a lot of things I regret now. I acted impulsively and didn’t think about the consequences. I’m an idiot, and Rogio was right to be upset with me for what I did.
I overheard Rogio talking and saying how a certain young man needed to find a mate soon.
This piqued my interest immediately. Why would Rogio want this man to find a mate?
So I continued to listen. Rogio wanted this vampire to find a chosen mate and was purposely trying to lead him to women who would be compatible.
He was also leading him away from the vampire kingdom. I found this very interesting.
I was lacking in entertainment, so I found this vampire and told him to visit the vampire kingdom, that something interesting awaited him there.
Then I sat back and watched the events unfold with intrigue.
It turned out that the man was the mate of the Queen of the Vampires. Yeah … like I said, I’m an idiot.
The queen couldn’t ignore the temptation of her fated mate, so she met him in secret.
Her marriage to the vampire king was one of convenience.
She had two children already with the vampire king and had fulfilled her obligations to him.
But even I could see how the king looked at her. The king loved her. Adored her.
I hid myself and watched it all unfold in silence.
I still remember the king’s face when he ended up catching his queen in bed with another man.
It was gut-wrenching to watch. His face paled, and there was so much pain in his eyes.
The king snapped and killed the queen’s fated mate.
That man was now dead because of me. I led him to this fate.
The king loved the queen so much that he looked past what she did. He just wanted her and wanted her to love him. But the queen couldn’t get over the loss of her fated mate.
As a deity, I’d seen many things, but one night, I witnessed the queen killing the king and then herself.
I felt so nauseous at that moment. Hell, I still do, just thinking about it.
The sad look of betrayal in the king’s eyes before his death will always haunt me.
I was the cause of all of this. I didn’t know what the consequences would be.
I learned my lesson, though. I would never mess with things that I shouldn’t.
But I never got the chance to prove that.
Rogio went hysterical. His vampire king and queen were both dead, both having been hand-chosen by him. He wasn’t just angry … he was grief-stricken. As the vampire deity, Rogio had always kept a close relationship with his people.
Of course, that snake Erebus had been watching me the whole time and knew what I had done.
He didn’t hesitate to let Rogio know about my mistake.
Rogio had a lot of clout among the deities, and they agreed with him that I should be punished.
I wasn’t just going to let them punish me.
Who were they to punish me? They weren’t even going to hear me out.
I fought against them. One-on-one, they didn’t stand a chance against me, so they united, and with all of them working together, they brought me down, cursing me to a life at sea.
I would never be able to walk upon land again unless I mated with a land dweller.
Something that was impossible to do, since I was stuck in the oceans.
Damn, clever, cruel gods. To give hope where there wasn’t any.
I heard Rogio was broken after everything that happened.
He was crushed that he wasn’t able to protect the vampire king and queen.
It drove him mad. Finally, he couldn’t handle it anymore, and he went dormant, closing himself off from the world and going into a deep slumber.
If he was only going to go to sleep anyway, he didn’t have to leave me cursed and imprisoned.
The more I thought about it, the more I became fed up with the other deities and their council.
Why did they get to decide things, with their stupid, made-up rules?
Honestly, it makes no sense. It’s just a way for them to pass the time.
I have no respect for their rules. They didn’t even give me a chance to explain anything.
Other deities have done worse things, but because I didn’t just accept my punishment, I was cursed to the depths of the ocean.
“Quite the place you have here.”
I turned my head to see a white glowing bubble behind me. Perfect. The meddling Moon Goddess was just what I needed. What the hell did she want?
“Go away, Selene,” I said bitterly. She was trouble, and I didn’t trust her.
“What if I told you I have a way you can get on dry land to break the curse?”
I knew this would be a mistake. Selene was the master of manipulation.
Sure, everyone saw her as a helpful goddess who could see the future, but I knew better.
That conniving bitch was up to something.
Whenever she had her hand in something, you better believe it was for herself.
Selene was like the constant pressure on a tree.
In time, it grew in the direction she pushed.
Then one day, the tree would fall in the direction it was leaning, the direction she had manipulated it to grow.
She didn’t make it fall, but she knew it would.
So she indirectly influenced the end result. Yep. That was Selene.
“Like I said … go away.”
“Hear me out. All you have to do is grant your earth powers to the fairy king and aid him in the demon war. After that, you don’t need to be his summon anymore.
However, you would be connected to his life.
This way, you can return to the earth and find yourself a land dweller as a mate so you can end the curse. ”
Damn, it was tempting. I turned and glared at her. “That’s it? I just have to stomp some demons into the ground and I’m free to go?”
“Everything afterward would be your choice, of course. Think of it as a way to help each other out. The fairy king will need your power and you can use the fairy king as an anchor. It’s the perfect situation for both of you.”
I should have trusted my gut. With Selene, it was never something that simple. And it wasn’t.
All those years, and I was still a fool. I went to the fairy king and aided in his battle against the demons. Honestly, it felt good to use my earth powers again. It felt good to be in the air and on land. It all should have ended there for me. I’d kill some demons and then I’d be on my way.
Of course not.
I went to bid my farewell to the fairy king, to whom I was now connected.
I turned and looked at the woman next to Leviathan and felt a pull toward her.
Damn it. That crafty bitch. How in the hell was Selene able to make this unborn child my mate?
I now had this incredible desire to protect her from everything and anything.
I thought my life was hell before. But staying away from her is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do.
And I can’t stay away from her completely.
I hide my aura from her and watch her grow.
I watch her laugh. I watch her cry. I’m always watching her.
And it isn’t just the mate pull anymore.
I’ve fallen in love with my spunky, fiery mate.
I know Erebus still hates me and is a problem. If he finds out Alexa is my mate, he’ll come for her. He still wants to punish me. I was proven right when he abducted her cousin, thinking she was my mate. The bastard has ears and eyes everywhere. It only reassures me that I’m doing the right thing.
I, the mighty Kraken, now have a weakness. Alexa. I know my enemies will use my weakness against me. I can’t let them. I have to stay away from her in order to protect her. Erebus thinks her cousin is my mate. That will keep Alexa safe, for now. I just have to continue to stay far away from her.
I lean my head into my hands and let out a loud sigh.
This is so hard. I need her. I need to be close to her.
I want to hear her laughter. I want to hold her close and tell her I’ve loved her for quite some time.
But because I love her so much, I need to protect her.
If staying away from Alexa keeps her safe, I’ll do it. Even if it’s killing me.
I know she’s hurting too. I never want her to hurt.
I just want her to find happiness and be happy, even if it isn’t with me.
Damn. Even the idea of another man touching her makes me want to destroy the world.
But it’s for the best. I’m a monster. Quite literally, I turn into a beast. Because of what I’ve done in the past, the fairy princess deserves better. Someone much better than me.
I did other things in my past besides the tragedy with the vampire king and queen.
When I was cursed to the ocean, I roamed in my beast form.
I would go to coastal cities as a horrible monster and cause tsunamis to tear through their civilizations.
I was angry. What I did was horrible and I can’t take it back.
I’m tainted with those sins. Why should the fairy princess be with someone like me?
Why should she be cursed with a fated mate like me? She deserves someone so much better.
Sometimes I hope for a future with her. One where I find Erebus and destroy him. But even if I kill Erebus, I’m still not good enough for her. She’s so beautiful and perfect, her light so bright and warm. I don’t deserve someone like her.
Not having Alexa is the cruelest punishment I could ever receive.
Watching her be happy with another man would be the worst torture that could ever happen to me.
And yet it would be the best thing for her.
In the long run, she’s better off without me.
It would be hell, but I deserve it. And as long as Alexa is safe and happy, that’s all that matters.
I watch Alexa as she storms back toward her home.
She often comes and yells into the darkness, hoping I’ll hear her.
And I often do. Because I’m always watching her.
I chuckle quietly every time I hear her talking.
She claims she’s going to find me and claim me.
Honestly, it makes me happy to hear her say those things, even if our love can never be.
Be happy, my princess. I will always love you.
To be continued with Book 5: Taming the Kraken